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President Biden's Vaccination Goal Might Fall Short; Health Officials Growing Concern on Delta Variant Spreading; Tokyo Olympic Organizers to Decide on Allowing Spectators; Mass Shootings in America Nears 300; Eric Adams Volunteer Stabbed; Hard-Liner Raisi Will Take Office At Pivotal Moment; Nine Children, 1 Adult Killed In Multivehicle Crash; Tropical Depression Claudette Drenching Southeastern U.S. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 21, 2021 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST: Hi, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Thanks for joining me. I'm Robyn Curnow. So just ahead on CNN. The COVID delta variant is spreading across the globe especially where vaccines have yet to reach. We'll look at how it could impact the fight against the disease.

Plus, the United States is battling an epidemic of its own. Details of the latest lives lost in a weekend of gun violence.

Plus, polls open in what Ethiopia's government calls the country's first free and fair election. But, not everyone is convinced. Were' live in Addis Ababa, coming up.

Good to have you along this hour. So the Biden administration is pushing the president's goal of at least partially vaccinating 70 percent of the adult population in the U.S. by the 4th of July. But, so far, only 16 states and the District of Columbia have met that objective.

And while the U.S. will likely miss that goal, former FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb says that won't have a major impact. Instead, the U.S. should be starting to start thinking about the next phase of the vaccination effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: Now, we need to think about trying to push out the vaccine into community sites where people could get it delivered to them through a trusted intermediary. That's going to mean doctor's offices, schools, places of employment, we need a different vaccine delivery strategy to get the people who are still reluctant or who still face challenges getting into those access sites.

But, as people contemplate going back to school and back to work in the fall, they will be seeking out vaccines and I think that's when we need to think of that 2.0 campaign and a different strategy for delivering vaccines to those who remain unvaccinated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Now I want to take a moment to compare China's effort to the United States. Take a look at these graphs. On Saturday, China announced it administered more than one billion vaccine doses. You can see on the left, how accelerated its vaccination pace after getting off to a pretty slow start.

In the U.S., the daily vaccination numbers are now tapering off a bit, but the chart on the right puts those same numbers in a different context. China still has a way to go when it comes to catching up to the U.S. and other countries in terms of vaccinations per capita.

And China and the U.S. share a concern when it comes to spread of variants. More than 400 flights out of Shenzhen airport were cancelled on Monday after more than three dozen people connected to a flight from Johannesburg were confirmed to have the highly transmissible delta variant. Beijing is not confirming the reason for those cancellations.

Well, let's go straight to Beijing. Steven Jiang is standing by. What can you tell us? What do you know? Hi, Steven.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Hi, Robyn. You know, this latest cluster is Shenzhen you mentioned really its part of this new wave of cases in the southern province of Guangdong than began about a month ago.

Now, the number of new locally transmitted cases on a daily basis, still relatively low. Single digit or low double digits. But given this is China, many officials especially at the local level still adopt this zero tolerance policy, that is why you've seen them take a familiar page from their playbook in terms of multiple rounds of mass testing, extensive contact tracing as well as targeted lockdowns.

And in the case of Shenzhen because one of the two new patients was a restaurant worker at the airport. That is why you've seen not only these hundreds of flight cancellations you mentioned, but also new rules requiring departing passengers presenting a negative test result, and other travel and local restrictions as well.

Now, all of this, of course, comes as officials say the latest wave of cases in Guangdong are mostly of the delta variant and they've been linked to imported cases. That is why they've been very alarmed given how fast the variant has been traveling, spreading around the world. So they are vowing to really not let their guard down in terms of detecting and handling cases from the international arriving passengers.

But all of this, of course, come as you mentioned, they achieve this milestone of administering one billion doses of vaccines within its borders. Now, this of course, comes as probably no surprise given the one party political system here. Its top down power structure, really has allowed the authorities here to achieve these kinds of things.

Because even though technically vaccination is voluntary, but if you are, for example, working for the government or one of the thousands of state-owned enterprises or any public institutions, you are pretty much compelled to take the shots.

[02:04:58]

We have heard from sources and from state media and social media, that in some cases, local authorities have been exerting pressure not only on people but also through their family. So, this is a milestone they've been touting, but also given the population size, even experts have been quoted saying, they really need to have at least 2 billion shots before they can even talk about herd immunity. Robyn?

CURNOW: Goodness. That is a lot of people. Steven Jiang there in Beijing. Thanks much for that update. Now, global health experts are worried about places where vaccine skepticism is high or access to the shots is lacking.

This delta variant is certainly spreading fast throughout those communities. Take a look at this map, and as Michael Holmes now reports, officials really are scrambling to stop it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICAHEL HOLMES, CNN HOST (voice-over): Aggressive and infectious. That's the way that Moscow's mayor describes a coronavirus variant spreading through the city. Health officials, in Moscow reported more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The highest daily figure for the city since the pandemic began. That, from the city's mayor, who says that the delta variant first identified in India is responsible for nearly 90 percent of new infections.

SERGEI SOBYANIN, MAYOR OF MOSCOW (through translation): The situation in Moscow with the spread of COVID-19 disease is rapidly deteriorating. And the dynamics are quite unexpected since more than 60 percent of Muscovites have either been ill or vaccinated.

HOLMES (voice-over): The Kremlin says vaccinations are critical to protect against the variant spread, but many Russians are still hesitant to get the Sputnik vaccine.

UNKNOWN: We are afraid of getting sick, but we do not get vaccinated because we are also afraid of that.

HOLMES (voice-over): The WHO says Moscow is just one of several places where the delta variant is thriving. And with so many people across the world still unvaccinated, there is plenty of opportunity for it to circulate even more.

SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, WHO CHIEF SCIENTIST: The delta variant is well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its significantly increased transmissibility.

HOLMES (voice-over): One WHO official says Africa is particularly vulnerable because of a lack of vaccines. The delta variant has been detected in at least 14 countries on the continent. But even countries that have had success with their vaccination programs are being inundated with new cases.

More than 46 percent of the population in the U.K. is fully vaccinated, but COVID-19 infections are increasing there once again. The delta variant, fueling the rise. A similar spike in Indonesia where authorities in one district giving live chickens as an incentive to older residents to get the shots. Countries around the world trying everything they can to catch up to this fast moving virus. Michael Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, Dr. Scott Miscovich is a family physician and national COVID testing consultant. He pioneered a method of pop-up coronavirus testing in Hawaii. He joins us now from St. Louis, Missouri. Good to see you. Thank very much, doctor.

SCOTT MISCOVICH, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Hi, Robyn.

CURNOW: How concerned are you then about this delta variant?

MISCOVICH: Oh, we are very concerned about it because, you know, we have pockets in the United States that we still have to really worry about. We have a large section of the United States if you really take a circle over the southern United States. It extends up into the Midwest and some of the western states.

We are just barely getting above 30 percent with the vaccine and I am traveling throughout the United States and it is very, very concerning because there is no masks to be seen and people are just standing on top of each other as if life never happened with coronavirus.

So, I am very, very concerned for these areas. It seems like we're going to have two varieties of the United States associated with the way we are going to approach this going forward.

CURNOW: Yes, I mean, we're in the south here and certainly, you're right about very few people not wearing masks. When you look at this variant, medically, how does it interact differently with the body compared to previous variants? Why is it just so contagious? And then it also seems to make you sicker, doesn't it?

MISCOVICH: Correct. And again, the virus is finding the way to have natural evolution to survive. And it comes to the spikes. The spikes now are far more adhesive and they can stick into the skin and attach a lot more firmly without the spike breaking off. And so, what happens is you don't need that many droplets to enter your body to become infected.

So, therefore, you have anywhere from 40 to 80 percent increase infectivity associated with this new virus.

[02:10:00] And, again, you know, no masks, someone can just walk by, it doesn't have to be the 6 foot for 15 minutes. You can have a very brief contact, and you're going to be able to be infected with this.

CURNOW: How vulnerable, I mean, obviously, non-vaccinated people are vulnerable, but how vulnerable are children? Is there a data on this?

MISCOVICH: Yes, we still have data that showing that children are going to become infected with this at the same rates that are more and it's more infective to children. Fortunately, again, the fatality with rates with children are very, very low, that it still can occur.

And the data shows it's very parallel that -- and the studies are showing, very parallel to children and the increase infectivity. And if you look across the United States, you know, we're in a little low with our summer right now, but we will have the fall approaching and children will be going back to schools.

But the other thing is, that children are coming together, obviously, with time off and they are with each other, and there is no reference to wearing masks especially in children.

CURNOW: How protected are folks who have been vaccinated? Is there a need for a booster wit this variant or down the line, we are only on delta of the Greek alphabet here? How many variants nastier and nastier is it going to get and how much are vaccines going to have to keep up?

MISCOVICH: There you go Robyn. That's exactly it. So right now, we are on delta. And the fact is, is that there will be a booster that will be coming out by Moderna sometime probably later in the fall and that is just addressing what we call the South African variant originally, and that will be coming up.

So, we expect that there will be ongoing boosters. And I would expect, for everyone, to be thinking that sometime in the first or second quarter of next year there's going to be discussions. The next issue is exactly as you said.

As your previous piece stated, we are not having enough vaccinations going on across the world. As that happens, these regions are going to start having the opportunity to develop more variants and the alphabet is going to be pushed.

CURNOW: Dr. Scott Miscovich, thank you very, very much for joining us. Appreciate you sharing your expertise and taking the time. Thanks for being on CNN.

MISCOVICH: Thank you, Robyn.

CURNOW: So with just over a month to go until the Tokyo Olympics, organizers are facing more hurdles. On Saturday, a coach with Uganda's team became one of the first to test positive for COVID upon arrival in Japan.

Ugandan officials say the coach isn't showing symptoms. It comes as organizers are set to decide whether to allow spectators during the games. Something experts have advised against. Well, Blake Essig joins us now from Tokyo with much more on this. And it's just a month ago.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Robyn, you know, so for months, we have known that foreign spectators won't be attending the summer Olympics here in Tokyo and in just about an hour, we expect to learn the fate of the domestic spectators, whether they'll be allowed to attend the games.

So a five-party meeting of Olympic organizers, as I said, gets underway in about an hour and they're going to decide whether or not local fans will be allowed to attend. And if they are allowed to attend, how many will be allowed to attend?

So, just last week though, Japan's top coronavirus advisor said that staging the Olympics without spectators is desirable and the best option to limit the spread of infection. It's worth noting, Robyn, that following the G7 when Prime Minister Suga said that he wants support for the Olympics, the top coronavirus advisers here in Japan stopped talking about cancellations and instead started looking towards just the best ways to move forward with these games because that's what the government wants, that's what IOC wants. And to do so, in a way, that is the safest way possible.

And so, they recommend no spectators at all, but around that same time, the government said that, as a general rule, 10,000 spectators would be allowed to attend sporting events, but only in areas where a state of emergency is not in effect. And currently, there is a quasi- state of emergency in effect here in Tokyo as well as several other prefectures until July 11th. That is just about two weeks before the games are set to begin.

Now, if there is a state of emergency in place, the number of fans allowed would be reduced to 5,000 or half the capacity of the venue, whichever number is lower. Now, despite the possibility for a reduced number of fans, infectious disease experts continue to war that allowing any domestic spectators to attend the Olympics will result in a spike in cases.

Now, in fact, their projections recently released by Kyoto University and the National Institute of Infectious Disease, which showed that Tokyo could see an additional 10,000 COVID-19 cases if the games are held without spectators, versus none at all.

[02:15:00]

Now, because of the pandemic over the weekend, Tokyo's governor actually announced that all live Olympic public viewing events will be canceled. And this decision comes following a lot of criticism from the public that included a petition signed by about 110,000 people calling for events like this to be canceled.

Instead, the planned six locations in Tokyo will be used as vaccination sites. And while vaccination rate in Japan is speeding up, still only about 7 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. And by the time the games are set to begin, the number of fully vaccinated people isn't going to be a whole lote higher. So, still a lot of questions and concerns regarding the health and safety from the Japanese population, Robyn?

CURNOW: Yes, it certainly is. Thanks for that. Thanks for the update. Blake Essig there in Tokyo. Appreciate it. So coming up on CNN, America's gun violence epidemic is nearing an alarming milestone. The latest on another weekend surge in shootings. That story is next.

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CURNOW: There is an epidemic of gun violence here in America. The country is rapidly approaching 300 mass shootings this year alone.

[02:20:01]

At least nine this weekend. They happened across nine states, killed six people and wounded more than 40 others. That's according to data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive.

In Philadelphia, two men were killed and a toddler was shot multiple times. The 3-year-old survived but lost a father on Father's Day. In Oakland, California, our Juneteenth celebration ended with a 22-year- old man dead and six others injured as gunfire erupted then. Two men are under arrest.

And in Colorado, two separate shootings less than a mile from each other left five people injured. One of the shootings was at a carnival near a mall.

And then in Chicago, there was more than 20 incidents of gun related violence in a single night. Three people are dead, the youngest just 20-years-old. Well, Evan McMorris-Santoro has more on this latest spate shootings.

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another weekend in America where gun violence erupted across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: Gold on the south side of --

(GUNSHOT)

UNKNOWN: Another shot was just fired.

UNKNOWN: He's down, he's down, he's down.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): This is becoming the sound of the summer in America, after another weekend torn apart by gun violence. Incidence from Oakland to Chicago to Minneapolis. Just this weekend, more than 30 people killed in gun violence so far according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Disturbingly, children continue to be caught in the cross fire. In Dallas, a gunfight between party goers, leaving eight people injured including a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old. And in Detroit Thursday, police, still investigating a shooting that killed a 2-year-old, one of two unconnected gun violence incidents according to police on freeways in the Michigan City last week.

UNKNOWN: You know, I don't wish to sound my worst enemy.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): Some victims know their shooter, some were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mass shootings what CNN defines as incidents where four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter, are nearing 300 so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. That is about 40 percent higher than this point in 2020 and 65 percent higher than this time in 2019.

Some gun reform advocates are discouraged by what they feel is a lack of action at the federal level in the wake of this uptick in violence.

CAMERON KASKY, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR, GUN REFORM ADVOCATE: The fact that we have not seen very much substantial gun reform from the Biden administration, which is especially disappointing considering the fact that Joe and Kamala both campaigned on this, you know, people are very frustrated.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): The pace of gun violence in America shows no sign of slowing down. And the summer is just getting underway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (on camera): There hasn't been much summer yet. Authorities worry that as the season goes on, the pace of gun violence in this country will continue. Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN, New York.

CURNOW: Well, U.S. is clearly grappling with an epidemic of gun violence. A surgeon who is a shooting survivor himself told CNN's Pamela Brown, it must be seen as a public health crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH SAKRAN, SHOOTING SURVIVOR, GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ADVOCATE: We have seen an increase in the mass shootings that you've described were up by about 40 percent since last year and 65 percent since 2019. And I think that thing that has to be very clear is that the mass shootings are just the tip of the iceberg.

And in fact, every day in cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, we have young black men that are being slaughtered on our streets. And we have a responsibility to tell those stories and to elevate what's happening every day in communities across the country.

And I think that, you know, networks like yourself and others have done a great job recently of really continuing to put the pressure on this public health crisis. And that's what it is.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And it sounds like from what you're saying is, you are seeing more victims of shootings come into the E.R. After the stress of this pandemic, do E.R.'s even have the bandwidth to deal with this right now? SAKRAN: Yes. It's such a great question. I mean, as health care

professionals, we are, you know, front and center of having to take care of these patients. And what we've been through over this past year to add, as Evan said, another public health crisis that, frankly, didn't start now and has been going on for quite a while, is incredibly difficult.

I mean, today is Father's Day, Right? And just imagine all of the fathers, you know, that I have had to speak to and tell them that their child, that left that morning, is never coming home again.

And I think about people like my friend, Fred Guttenberg who, you know, has been spearheading this Dads for Gun Safety campaign to really try to get the word out there and to make people understand that this is not some, you know, random thing that happens. This is happening every day, and it's impacting the lives of communities all across America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:06]

CURNOW: Now, a volunteer for New York mayoral candidate was stabbed multiple times on Sunday. The volunteer, a 42-year-old man, who works for Democrat Eric Adams, the campaign confirms that the man is now out of surgery and in a stable condition. Adams is one of the front runners in the Democratic primary for New York mayor. Police said the investigation is "active and ongoing."

Now, coming up on CNN, the major challenges facing Iran's incoming, hardline president, including what's next for the nuclear talks.

Also, voting is underway in what Ethiopia's government calls the country's first free and fair election. But, with parts of the country's ravaged by war and unable to vote, many skeptics have their doubts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back. Wherever you are in the world, thanks so much for joining me. Its 29 minutes past the hour. I'm Robyn Curnow live in Atlanta.

So, international negotiators in Vienna say they are closer to an agreement with Iranian officials to restore a nuclear deal, but it hasn't been reached yet. A sixth round of talks wrapped up on Sunday. Russia's representative said there was a chance of arrival at a final point in discussions by mid-July. Negotiators will not consult with their capitals ahead of the next round.

Well, Iran's incoming president will hold his first news conference in the coming hours. Ebrahim Raisi takes office in early August, signaling a turn to the hard right after an election that most reform- minded Iranians skipped. Fred Pleitgen reports.

So, Raisi' election comes at a critical moment for Iran, both at home and abroad. Fred?

[02:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The transition of power here in Iran already appears to be starting after the presidential election which of course is one that many people say is very important and possibly pivotal for this country, moving Iran on a trajectory far more towards the conservative powers, here in this country. And the President-elect, the very conservative Ebrahim Raisi, he's set to hold his first international press conference on Monday.

Now, he's expected to take questions both from Iranian journalists and international journalists as well. And he's also expected to outline some of the agenda, both in domestic and in foreign policy. As far as the policy for Iran is concerned, of course, by far the biggest issue here is the struggling economy of the country. Of course, Iran is still very much suffering from crippling sanctions, mostly put in place by the Trump Administration.

And a lot of people are looking for economic reprieve. Raisi in the past has favored what the Iranian power structures called a resistance economy, which means making Iran as self-sufficient as possible and not dependent on foreign direct investment.

The other big question, of course, is going to be what are the foreign policy initiatives going to be so far, at least as far as relations with the U.S. is concerned? Ebrahim Raisi has always been for a very tough line, a strong stance towards Washington. And the other big question is going to be what about the Iran nuclear agreement?

Now, we've heard from a senior member of Iran's governing elite, that the Iran nuclear agreement is something that the Supreme Leader of the country who is of course, the main authority here in Iran, he's signed on to that and he wants the Iran nuclear agreement to come back into full force for the U.S. to get back into the agreement and for Iran to come back into full compliance.

Of course, those negotiations still very much ongoing. Fred Pleitgen, CNN Tehran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Thank you Fred for that. So voting is underway in Ethiopia for what the government calls the country's first free and fair elections after a decade - after decades of repressive rule. But many skeptics have their doubts due to Ethiopia's economic disparity and the ongoing war in the Tigray region.

Here's the scene in the capital, Addis Ababa. Some major parties are boycotting the election over alleged intimidation by security forces. Over a fifth of constituencies say they are delaying voting for various reasons, including voter registration issues, simmering ethnic violence and the conflict in Tigray. Now, a second round of voting will take place in September. But I want to bring in our Larry Madowo, who's live in Addis Ababa for

us at this hour. Larry, hi. Good to speak to you. You there on the ground. How significant is this election? What are Ethiopians saying to you?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Robyn, Ethiopians are telling me that this is an important step for them to a democratic transition. It is an imperfect elections, flawed as it is, they still think it's necessary to midwife a true transition into a proper democratic country even though 20 percent of constituencies are not voting, even though the whole northern Tigray region is not holding elections.

They still think this is the best way they can have a truly democratic election but more significantly, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed needs the legitimacy of a popular election. He only came into power in 2018, after a predecessor was forced out because of popular protests. And I'll be speaking to the Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, who think this is going to be a reasonably credible elections. This is what he told me.

DANIEL BEKELE, ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER: This is an election which is happening in a context of a very complex political crisis. So it would be quite a very good step forward towards better elections in the future. And this would be a reasonably credible election, in my view, but Ethiopia still has a long way to go towards a fully fair and free elections.

MADOWO: The timing of this election is controversial because there are opposition parties boycotting it. There's violence in parts of the country, should this have been the right time to hold an election.

BEKELE: it would have been equally problematic and difficult if Ethiopia did not have elections, because it means there will be an elected government and an elected government for an extended period of time. So despite the challenges and the problems, I think we did the right thing, that Ethiopia has elections.

MADOWO: The leader of the national elections board in Ethiopia, says their country still have serious problems. But she said in an Op-Ed that let don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This is one step in a much wider problem in solving Ethiopia's deep-rooted problem and she thinks the last time elections took place, that were reasonably credible, was in 2005.

It's been 16 years and the next election will be better than this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Larry Madowo there live in Addis Ababa. Thanks for bringing us that. Now the UN though is warning against any potential violence surrounding these elections in Ethiopia.

A spokesperson released a statement noting the challenging political and security environment as Larry's just reported, this is what he said, "The Secretary General calls on all stakeholders to refrain from any acts of violence or incitement. The Secretary General encourages leaders and participants in the elections to promote social cohesion and reject hate speech."

[02:35:00]

It goes on to stress that any electoral disputes should be resolved through dialogue and established legal channels. So you're watching CNN. For the first time in 15 months, a cruise ship has set sail from the U.S., we'll show you why it is certainly a test run for the industry's plans to leave its pandemic cares behind but can it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back. So just hours ago Royal Caribbean's 'Freedom of the Seas' cruise ships that sail on a trial cruise to test new COVID safety measures. Now it is the first cruise ship to leave from a U.S. port since the pandemic began. As Leyla Santiago now reports the industry hopes it's the start of many more to come. Leyla?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About 600 passengers on board Freedom of the Seas for a simulated voyage. That's basically kind of like a trial run for Royal Caribbean to test its safety protocols. That's a requirement from the CDC if the cruise line wants to avoid requiring 95 percent of passengers to be vaccinated. Now we all know the cruise industry has had a bit of a tough year.

For about 15 months, they have been on pause and it's a big deal here in Florida because the cruise industry pumps $8.5 billion into the economy here and supports 154,000 jobs. So for this simulated voyage, Royal Caribbean is turning to its employees.

So everyone on board has been fully vaccinated and works for Royal Caribbean. I had a chance to talk to a few of them. And we talked about why they decided to get on board and some of their concerns.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I needed to get out, I'm vaccinated. I haven't you know, I've been very healthy. I'm very healthy, thank God and I just need to get out and see my friends and see my work family.

[02:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm feeling very excited overall. I mean a little just apprehensive not because of the cruise, just because I haven't packed for a trip in a long time. So I kind of forgot.

SANTIAGO: In a bit of a development, remember back in April, Governor Ron DeSantis sued CDC over its requirements. And on Friday, a judge ruled that come July 18, the CDC cannot require cruise lines to follow their new rules. So you have the ports, the cruise line, as well as the industry as a whole reading through the 124 page decision and trying to make sense of what that means for future voyages and passengers. Leyla Santiago, CNN, Miami. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Thanks Leyla for that. So thank you also for joining us here at CNN. If you're an international viewer, World Sport is next for you folks, enjoy that. If you're watching from here in the U.S. or Canada, I will be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to all of our viewers here in the United States. I'm Robyn Curnow live in Atlanta. So a multi vehicle accident in Alabama has really taken a devastating toll. Nine children and one adult were killed when a van coming back from a beach vacation collided with a sports utility vehicle. The van burst into flames.

Officials are investigating the cause as it was raining as tropical depression - as a tropical depression move through the region. Martin Savidge now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four of the victims who died in Saturday's crash attended the high school here. Federal investigators now are going to begin sifting through the scene, trying to determine exactly what caused it. This tragedy is horrific on a number of different levels, not just the number of lives lost, 10 but also the fact that nine of the 10 were children between the ages of nine months and 17 and that many of those children had already gone through so much difficulty in their own lives to die tragically.

This incident happened around mid-afternoon on an interstate highway known as I65. It was in the northbound lane, just south of Montgomery. And it was a multi vehicle crash. The images convey just how horrible the scene was. At least 15 vehicles involved including semi-tractor trailer trucks, and there was a terrible fire.

We know that the worst number of deaths occurred in a van that was capable of carrying 15 people, it had nine people. Eight of the people in that van, all children died. The one person who was rescued from the wreckage by passers-by. And passers-by were the heroes here was the ranch director.

She was pulled unconscious from that van, she lost two of her own children in that crash. And then there were two other victims, a father and daughter age 29 and nine months who died in another vehicle. Weather right now is being looked at as a potential cause, it was very bad weather in the area at the time.

The man who is the CEO of this girl's ranch that oversees it says that they are devastated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL SMITH, CEO, ALABAMA SHERIFFS YOUTH RANCHES: We lost eight

young people that can make a difference in our world. We lost eight young people that didn't have a chance to have their own children. We lost eight young people that can't break the cycle of where they learn and change it for their children.

We had two vans of children coming back from the beach and also a chase car. But they were several miles apart. And the first van was the one that had the accident. We had - we had nine people in that van. We had eight fatalities and one survivor in that van, yesterday. That's the tragedy that we're faced with.

SAVIDGE: And the children, many of them who died in that van had already been taken by the state into their custody from homes where parents have been caught up in drug addiction, where the children themselves had been abused. And now this organization which is primarily run through donations, finds itself having to plan for eight funerals.

It will be a very difficult week of grief. Martin Savidge, CNN, Camp Hill Alabama.

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CURNOW: Thank you Martin for that. So police in Florida say a deadly incident at a Pride parade appears to be a tragic accident, not an intentional or criminal act. Now, two pedestrians were hit one was killed after this truck apparently lost control. It happened on Saturday near Fort Lauderdale. Police said a vehicle accelerated unexpectedly running through lanes of traffic and then crashing into a fence.

The truck was driven by a 78-year old man who was participating in the parade. Police say there were no signs of impairment. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Russia are taking another small step aimed at improving relations between the two countries. The Russian ambassador has returned to Washington and the U.S. Ambassador is expected to be back in Moscow in the coming days.

Presidents Biden and Putin both agreed to send ambassadors back to their posts during their meeting last week. But the effort to thaw frosty relations at the Geneva summit could soon be put to the test. The Biden Administration is already preparing to hit Russia with more sanctions over the poisoning of imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Well, Russian authorities also charged a suspect with the murder of an American student. 34-year old, Catherine Serou went missing last week. Her body was found on Saturday. A former professor describes her as a model student with a bright future ahead.

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JENNY KAMINER, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS: She was the type of student who professors are just so happy to encounter in a classroom. She was smart, she just exuded this positive open energy. [02:50:00]

Whenever she raised her hand to engage in class discussion, she was invariably articulate, insightful, and she had this abiding and just infectious passion for Russian culture.

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CURNOW: Well, Salma Abdelaziz has more on the investigation. Salma.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Horrific new details are coming to light about the murder of an American student in Russia. The victim is 34 year old Catherine Serou. She was studying at a state university in Russia and according to a local city court that's investigating Serou's murder. The suspect a man who has been charged with her murder picked Serou up at about 7pm local time on Tuesday, June 15.

The two were in that vehicle for about an hour when the man stopped in a wooded area and that suspect identified only as P by the local city court at. P began to repeatedly hit Serou with his fist. He stabbed her at least twice with a knife he was carrying. Serou tragically died of her injuries at the scene.

We also understand from Russian officials that the suspect did have a previous record. He'd been convicted repeatedly of grave crimes. The U.S. Embassy also confirming Serou's death extending their condolences to her family. U.S. Embassy official say they're doing everything they can to support the investigation by local authorities. The last person Serou was in touch with was her mother.

Again, that's according to Russia's main Investigative Committee. They say Serou texted her mother on Tuesday evening about getting in that unidentified vehicle with that unknown man. What happened next is that Serou was reported missing and days later she her body was tragically found in that wooded area.

Absolutely horrific news particularly for her mom back home in the United States. Her mother, Becky Serou has spoken to The Daily Beast. She says her daughter was a tough woman. She had served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan. She'd survived combat - in combat. She said her daughter was creative, kind, intelligent. She said her daughter enjoyed studying in Russia, that she sold her apartment in 2019 in California to fund her studies in Russia and that her daughter's plan had been to come back to the United States and work as an immigration lawyer.

Now of course, her life tragically cut short and her mother searching for answers. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

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CURNOW: Tropical Storm Claudette is leaving destruction in its way across the U.S. southeast. In Alabama, at least 20 people were killed were injured on Saturday morning when a tornado tore a path of destruction 22 miles wide through southern Alabama.

In Louisiana fierce winds and heavy rains drenched part of the state including this home near New Orleans. Listen as one of the witnesses assesses all the damage.

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LOGAN SHEPARD, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: That house right there that the water was inside the house last night. Our house, it didn't get too high but it got up to the front door. I didn't - we had to move all the cars because it was inside the cars.

But our neighbor also right here, she also got some water inside her house. It was kind of crazy last night. It was falling pretty bad.

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CURNOW: Right now Tropical Depression. Claudette is lashing North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center expects it to restrengthen into a tropical storm. Flash flooding will be a primary threat in the hours ahead.

Well, I want to go straight to Pedram Javaheri to talk us more about what to expect in these hours ahead. Talk us through that. Hi, Pedram. Good to see.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN: Robyn great seeing you. You know, the tremendous amount of rainfall that has already come down has been a major problem as you noted. You look at some of these areas, not just small communities, but even some of the larger towns and cities around the southeast including Mobile, Alabama, Montgomery, on into Birmingham, some of these areas picking up as much as six inches or more of rainfall and then you work your way towards places such as Mississippi, over a foot of rainfall in a matter of 48 hours.

Tell you what, a lot of U.S. underneath drought conditions. One of the lone spots that is not experiencing it is across the southeast. So certainly not the amount of rainfall you'd want to see across this region in such a short time period. But here's what is left of our tropical system.

It is a tropical depression forecast does indicate this will work its way back over the western Atlantic, warm enough waters in place to ignite this back into a tropical storm.

And at this point catches on to the steering environment in the atmosphere, heads towards the Canadian maritimes and within really say 24 to 36 hours quickly loses steam and brings with it some gusty winds and heavy rainfall towards that region. So it is going to move away rather quickly.

But when it comes to the Monday morning, portions of the Carolinas into the Delmarva, there's a storm surge threat as much as three feet in some of these areas. Again, short lived but still a large enough threat to cause some damage on the immediate coastal regions. Now, Claudette is our third storm of the season. You'll notice Danny

and Elsa the next couple in line here and of course summer officially getting underway in the past several hours in the Northern Hemisphere, activity brewing with Claudette, not only on the East Coast but back towards the west already feels like the heart of summer.

[02:55:00]

And when it comes to it officially again, 11:32pm Eastern Time on Sunday night that is the onset there. The longest day of the year, shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice on the opposite end of the scale there. Shortest day of the year for our friends in the southern hemisphere, but we talk about summer just getting underway. Look at Phoenix, how about six consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 115 degrees.

This has never happened in recorded history to have this many days in a row exceed that value. So remarkable set of temperatures and you see it topped out there in Death Valley with highs at 124 and not just around portions of the Southwest but even into the Northwest Washington State, state of Oregon, high temps pushing up into the middle 90s.

Initial cooling trend here but long term models do suggest Robyn, that we see another warming trend into next weekend. So it's going to be a long and potentially hot summer for a lot of folks around the U.S.

CURNOW: Yep, climate change continuing to rear its ugly head. Mother Nature really struggling. Pedram, thanks so much. Hello, talk about a pretty lucky break here. I want you to take a look at this pretty unbelievable videos.

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CURNOW: Well, after a storm in Georgia, a woman was rescued after this huge oak tree and powerlines crushed her car. She was driving early in the morning when the tree fell and trapped her inside. I mean this is extraordinary. So lucky. According to CNN affiliates, WSB rescuers were able to pull the driver out safely and take her to a local hospital. They say the tree really barely missed her head. She only sustained a few minor injuries.

Well, thanks so much for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow live in Atlanta. You can follow me though on Twitter and on Instagram @RobynCurnowCNN. There it is there, right there. I'm going to hand you over to my colleague Rosemary Church. She picks up things right now.

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